Walking Backwards
by Eternally Seventeen
Summary: He walks backwards, taking a trip through memory lane where the time they spent together lasted longer and his daughter grew younger. / Ron-Rose father-daughter bonding love, fiveshot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is written for and dedicated to the amazing Bexy darling (DobbyRocksSocks), my soul sister. I love you so much! And I really hope you like this :3

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**- 1 -**

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Rose glided down the long, petal-strewn aisle, clutching her father's arm for all its worth. If Ron felt all sensation leave his right elbow as her grip on it tightened with every passing minute, he lovingly chose not to utter a single word of protest.

While the walk seemed to Rose to last forever, it felt too short to Ron who despaired at the thought of giving his daughter's hand away to another man.

Ron then spent the last few steps down the aisle carefully scrutinizing Scorpius' face. The boy looked harmless enough, but weren't the Malfoys all experts in the art of deception?

In his mind, Ron revisited months of conversations that flared into fights and arguments within moments and cringed at the memory of countless days spent without talking to his daughter. He shuddered. He'd rather sell his entire collection of Chudley Canon collectibles than go back on his word.

"Dad," Rose whimpered softly, and Ron snapped back into reality. They stood at the end of the aisle and Scorpius looked expectantly, a hand extended to receive Rose's.

But she held on to her daddy's arm as she stood on the threshold of her tomorrows, grasping the last vestiges of a childhood she was suddenly afraid of bidding goodbye to.

"Come on, dear," The old priest cajoled, clearly annoyed at her sudden reluctance. Ron watched Scorpius' eyebrows knot together with worry and for a minute, his heart clenched at the memory of another, long gone day when he'd spend an entire agonising minute waiting for an 'I do' from the brunette by his side.

He smiled.

"Rose, go on," He whispered to his daughter as a lump suddenly blocked his throat. He was surprised to find her eyes swimming in a little pool of tears and blinked suddenly as a tear dropped down his own.

"I don't want to leave you, daddy," she said, suddenly abandoning her bouquet of wild roses and lilies as she flung her arms around her father's neck like she used to every year the second she stepped off the Hogwarts Express.

"You're never leaving me, silly," he soothed, patting her back and swallowing his own tears. "I'll pop in to your house the second I find myself missing you, and you better promise to do the same. Okay?"

With much difficulty, Ron pulled his daughter away from him and gently wiped the tears off with his thumb.

"Come on, now. It's time to get you married."

Rose smiled through her tears as her father gave her hand to her fiancee's.

"I love you, dad," she promised.

"You better protect my daughter with your life, Malfoy. Oh, and I love you too, Rosie."

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_fin_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** For the beautiful Bexy, whom I love oh-so-much *hugs* Hope you enjoy this!

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**-2-**

She waved her wrist around with the graceful movements of a dancer as she magically withdrew select belongings from her wardrobe and folded them away neatly into her suitcase. She made sure to keep her clothing confined to the left side as the right would be filled with heavy jackets, dragonhide boots and other special clothing that she would require during her travels. Beneath her feet, she could hear her parents bustle around the house restlessly as they waited for her to walk down the stairs with a desperate and not very convincing speech ready to tumble from their lips.

Rose sighed hard as she plonked herself onto her bed, suddenly exhausted. She didn't want to leave after a parade of waterworks and unnecessarily loud conversations – no, Rose wanted to leave the comfort of the hearth and backpack through the world, creating adventures for herself as she went along.

She looked around her room one last time after packing away her boots and jackets and sealing her suitcase. It was a tiny little box enchanted with the undetectable extension charm, and the only reason it was even as big as it was, was because she didn't want to cause suspicion amongst the muggles she was sure to encounter.

_Let's just get it over with_, she thought to herself as she levitated her suitcase before her and skipped down the staircase. A delicious shiver crawled up her spine as she imagined a fantastical world unfurling before her.

"Rosie, darling, you're finally here! Are you sure you've gotten everything?" Rose almost bumped into her mother right at the foot of the stairs and grinned despite herself.

"You're subtlety is outstanding, mother darling," she said, laughing. Hermione laughed with her daughter.

"Well, you can't really blame me, I happen to have a rather wild daughter." Her eyes shone with mirth, quickly replacing the immense worry that had been residing in there for over a month.

"Rose, have you packed everything Uncle Charlie asked you to bring?" Ron's voice thundered over the crackle and roar of the fireplace as he walked towards his wife and daughter.

Rose nodded fervently before remembering that her father couldn't see her.

"Uhh, yes dad! I even have extra burn salve and all the basic potions I'd need just in case I fall sick. Not that I plan to get sick," she added hastily as her father's frowning face came into sight.

"That didn't sound to convincing to me," he said. "Hermione, are you sure Rosie's packed everything?"

Rose's temper flared instantaneously. "Dad, please don't tell me that's your way of getting me to not go. You know I have everything, I've literally repacked thrice!"

Hermione put a comforting arm on her daughter's shoulder but she shrugged it away impatiently. "Your father is only concerned for you; there's no need to use that tone, young lady." She was gentle yet firm and Rose sobered down.

"I'm sorry, dad," she mumbled half-halfheartedly. But Ron shook his head reproachfully.

"You know me too well, Rosie-Posie." He walked to his daughter and stroked her hair softly and Rose smiled despite herself at his use of her baby pet name.

"Is my leaving really bothering you, dad? You know I'll be safe, I'm spending the first two months with family, after all."

Rose had plans to stay with her uncle Bill and his family as they were currently in France, and was then going to work with her uncle Charlie at the dragon sanctuary in Romania. She was to join Teddy and Victoire in Switzerland after that and spend Christmas with them, after which she was going to be exploring the great outdoors al on her own.

She couldn't wait to leave,; every minute she felt idling away within the confines of her house felt like a sin.

"I know, and don't think I have no faith in you," Ron added. Rose and Hermione raised their eyebrows in tandem.

"Alright, so maybe I am not the happiest person in the world right now. Who would be, if they were saying goodbye to their daughters for what could possibly be the very last time?" His pitch rose with every syllable he uttered and Rose couldn't help the giggles from escaping her throat.

"Dramatic much, dad? Besides, we're wizards, I'm over seventeen, I can just apparate back home whenever I want to! Of course," she rushed to add as she saw her father's face light up with hope, "this may not happen too frequently, but I promise to visit you once every few months. Please, dad," she beseeches. "This has been my dream for over three years now. Please let me go with the knowledge that you're okay with this?"

She threw her hands around her father just then and hugged him close, reveling in the cosy smell of wood fire and apples and custard and grease that enveloped her father that evening.

"Hey, are you - "

"Shh, dad. I love you."

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_fin_


	3. Chapter 3

_As always, for the lovely and beautiful Bexy, who's the sister I've never had :D I love you!_

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**-3-**

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"I pick dad to be on my team. Hugh, you can have mum," Rose declared bossily as she extracted the broomsticks from the rather cluttered spare room.

"Rosie, that's no fair! Mum is awful at flying!" Hugo complained, his little arms struggling to take the broom from Rose.

"Did I hear someone complain about my flying skills?" Their mother's voice floated from the kitchen, sounding only partly amused. Rose giggled. "Mum, Hugo doesn't believe you can – umpf!" She struggled as her brother pounced on her, refusing to allow her to speak.

"Daddy and Rose _always _team up for practice Quidditch, mum, _I want to fly with dad!_" Hugo bellowed, happy to not have his sister interject for once. Rose squirmed beneath his hands. For a little boy, he could be quite strong.

Ron walked in on the siblings and laughed at the sight before him.

"Hey, no killing each other over Quidditch!" he exclaimed as he pulled Hugo off his sister and plucked Rose off the floor, fighting laughter. His children reminded him a little too much of the fights that George and Ginny used to have when he was younger.

"Dad, can I fly with you today, please?" Hugo pleaded with huge eyes.

Rose shook her head violently. "I'm flying with daddy today. You fly on his team the next weekend, okay?"

"But that's what you say every weekend!" Hugo moaned, clearly disillusioned.

"Here's a solution," Ron interjected before his children began tearing each other apart.

"I fly with Rose for the practice match, but you and I compete against your mum and sister for the actual game, okay? How does that sound?" Ron offered what he hoped would be a solution to make both his children happy, but Rose was a little more demanding and very difficult to placate.

"Dad, why can't _we_ fly together in the match?"

"Well, then your brother flies practice with me."

"No fair!" Rose exclaimed, stomping a foot on the ground.

Ron just picked his daughter up and swung her around, watching with happiness as her sour mood elevated into one of happiness.

"Alright, alright," she conceded once she was put down. She went over to a wide-eyed Hugo, who looked at her expectantly.

"You can play both matches with dad today," she gave in generously. Hugo whooped with joy and grabbed his dad's broom before his, after which he ran towards the garden.

However, Ron wasn't all that convinced with his daughter's generosity.

"You're going to demand to play both matches with me for the next two weeks, aren't you?" He asked, not needed a reply the second he watched her lips curve into a diabolical grin.

"Oh, two is too less, daddy. I was thinking the entire month." She then pulled on the bottom of his shirt and asked him to stoop a little, placing a little kiss on his cheek.

"I love you, daddy. Now, will you get the brooms while I check on mummy in the kitchen?"

He nodded happily as she scampered away and wasn't very surprised to find his eyes a little moist.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **For my love Becksy (DobbyRocksSocks); one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever known and my sister from another mother :D I love you!

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**-4-**

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Rose was busy with her newest picture book when she heard her parents scream for delight and nearly jumped out of her skin. In all her three years, she couldn't think of a time when she'd actually heard her parents yell the way they were now. Then again, she reasoned with herself, she hadn't really been around for very long.

She gently placed a bookmark just like her mummy had taught her to mark the page she was at and closed the book, placing it on her bedside table. She then walked to her parents' room, the source of all the ruckus and knocked on the door shyly when she realised that the door was locked.

"Daddy? Mummy?" she called out sweetly in her high voice. She could hear her mum giggling while her dad scrambled for the door and vaguely wondered if there was something funny she could laugh at, too.

When Ron opened the door, Rose could only stare at her dad in amazement. His ginger hair was all over the place – even worse than Uncle Harry's, she thought. He kissed her cheeks and carried her, spinning her high in the air and Rose giggled with pleasure. She could never get over the sheer thrill of being swung around in the air and wished she always remained small enough for her father to be able to carry her.

"Daddy, what's happening?" She asked once he'd stopped. He carried her over to the bed where her mum said and placed her down gently.

She noticed her parents exchange glances as her dad sat on the bed with them, and then her parents took one of her hands each. This really began to worry Rose.

"Mum?" she asked with trepidation as her chocolate eyes grew huge. Hermione merely hugged her tightly in response.

""Rose darling," her dad began and she looked at him with a plethora of questions dancing in her eyes.

"You know how mummy hasn't been feeling quite so well lately?" Rose shook her head as she remembered the awful sounds of her mother throwing up and desperately hoped that nothing was wrong with her.

"Are you sick, mummy?" she asked softly, clasping her mother's palm in hers. "No, there _has _to be something happy, I heard you and daddy laugh very loudly a few minutes ago. You still look pretty happy," she observed.

Ron nodded his head as he laughed gently at his perceptive little daughter. She was so young yet already so intelligent.

"Your mummy is fine," he reassured. "How would you feel if I told you that you are going to be a big sister soon?"

Rose's eyes grew with wonderment.

"Do you mean…I am going to have another brother or sister?"

Hermione nodded in affirmation. "Just like James go a baby brother when Albus was born, honey," she explained.

"But Albus isn't a…a baby anymore," Rose noted dubiously. "And where is my baby sister _now_, mummy?"

Her parents burst out giggling again and Rose was rather confused.

Ron pointed to his wife's stomach.

"In your mum's tummy," he said, smiling. "And don't you forget, you might just end up with a little brother!"

Rose gaped. "Is the baby _that_ little?"

"Oh, the baby will grow in due time," Hermione assured her curious little daughter, holding her close and taking in her sweet fragrance.

Rose nodded her head and cuddled up to her parents, holding her dad's hand as she snuggled up against her mum. She might as well enjoy the time she had left with her parents before another person came into their lives.

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_fin_


End file.
